Lavatory-fixture.



M. LEMP, W. F. ALBRECHT & J. SHEBOL.

LAVATORY FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I5, 1915.

' 1,224,306. Patented M ,1917.

2 SHEETS-S l.

M. LEMP, W F. ALBRECHT & I. SHEBOL,

LAVATORY FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, I915.

Patented May1,'1917.

2 $HEETSSHEET 2.

Jhr 3555' YORK, A. GORPORATIQN OF NEW YORK PATENT OFFICE.

A D JosErH SHEBOL, ,o'r- SYRACUSE, NEW

YORK, AssIeNoRs TO NOTOWL MANUFACTURING coMPAN'Y, E sYRAeUsE, NEW.

LAvA'roRY-EIxrURE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known .that we, MIOKAEL LEMP,

' WILLIAM F. ALBRECHT, and JosEPH'SHEBoL,

citizens of the United States of America and residents of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lavatory-Fixtures, of which the following,

ments in lavatory fixtures adapted to be used in public or private lavatories for drying the hands and face by means of a current of heated air after washing or bathing.

The main object is=to place under the control of e user simple, economical and eflicient means for projecting a heated current of air in different directions or at, different elevations to be usedfor drying the moistened face and hands, and thereby avoiding the dangers from infection and other unsanitary conditions incidental to the use of towels and similar drying devices.

Another object is to assemble the blower, motor and heater in compact co-axial relation within a suitable housing in. such manner that the air delivery nozzle may be ad justed about the axis for directing the projected air to dilferent heights or angles as may berequired for drying the hands or face of the same or different users.

A further object is to provide means, operable at will, for holdingand releasing the nozzle in and from its adjusted position, and'to weight such nozzle in such mannor that it will automatically return to a predetermined normal position.

A still further object is to connect the electric motor and the electric heater to a single switch and to establish suitable con nections between the movable member of the switch and nozzle-holding means whereby the switch will be closed and opened simultaneously with the operation of the holding means to and from its holding position.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will be brought out in the following description.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

- Application filed July 15, 1915. Serial No. 40,037.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a lavatory fixture embodying the features of our invention. A

Fig. 2 is a side elevationpartly in section of the same device.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the device, taken on line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal'sectional view taken on line 4-4, Fig. 2, except that the electric motor is shown in elevation.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view,. taken; in the plane of line 5'5, Fig. 4.

As illustrated, this device comprises an upright standard 1- having a suitable base .'2- adapted to be secured by bolts or other fastening devices to the floor of the-room .in which the apparatus is installed, the standard and base being preferably made of cast metal and hollow to re-" ceive portions of the operating mechanism hereinafter described.

Securedto the upper end of. the standard is an upright housing 3- also of cast l n The casing 3 1s preferablymade in sections for convenience of assembling, ad-

justment and repairs of the various parts- 'inclosed therein, and comprisesa main-body -8, a hood .-9 and a switchsupporting section -10-, together witha mirror nd-display frame 11.

lower end .by screws or bolts'-12- directly to the flanged upper end'of the standard 1 and extends upwardly around the front" side of and some distance above the blower and its motor to receive and-support The main body -8 is secured at its tions for the use of the machine and anyother matter which it may be desired to place thereon, said frame being secured at its lower end to the upper end of the body -8 by screws or bolts 15-.

The hood 9. is secured by suitable fas tening means as bolts 16 to the rear face of the upright portion of the main body 8 and is provided in its rear side with an air inlet 17 which may open into the room in which the device is located or may be connected to a pipe -18- shown by dotted lines and leading to the exterior of the building or to any sourcelof pure air supply.

The portions of the housing surrounding the blower and motor are substantiallysemicylindrical and formed with spherical ends, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, so as to conform as nearly as possible to the casings for the blower and motor, leaving just sufiicient clearance for the free adjustment of those parts.

The blower comprises a rotary impeller 19- and a circular casing 20- therefor having an axially extending hollow hub .-21- and a tangentially extending. delivery nozzle 22 projecting forwardly to the exterior .of the housing through a vertical circumferentially elongated slot or opening 23 centrally in the front wall of the main body -8 of said housing so as to allow the delivery nozzle to be adjusted vertically and rotarily about the axis of the impeller to different positions for directing the projected current of air to different angles or heights as may be required by the user in drying the hands or face.

The electric motor 5- is co-axial with the blower 4;, the ease of the motor and that of the blower being secured together end to end, while the armature shaft of the motor is connected directly to the impeller 19- for driving the same. 7

The motor 5 and hub 21 of the blower are located at opposite ends of the impeller 19, the outer ends of the hub and motor case being journaled co-axially upon suitable bearings 24- on corre sponding ends of the housing, said bearings consisting, in this instance, of screws, which are adjustable to take up wear and are held in their adjusted positions by set screws '25, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4.

The slot or opening 23 in the front of the housing through which the delivery nozzle 22 projects is of just sufficient width to permit said nozzle to be adjusted vertically without frlction with-the walls thereof, the length of the slot or opening being suflicient to allow the delivery nozzle to bemoved vertically from an angle of approximately 45 degrees below a horizontal to approximately the sameangle above said horizontal, thus permitting the nozzle to move through an arc of about 90 degrees, the periphery of the blower case being provided with limiting stops 26 and !27'- cooperating with a portion of the main body 8 of the'housing to limit the movement of the nozzle through such are.

The portion of the blower case surrounding the impeller is enlarged and eccentrically disposed with relation to the axis of the impeller so as to leave a convolute air space around said impeller gradually increasing in radial depth from the front to the rear and around the lower side with the outer edges of the impeller blades traveling in close proximity to the front wall of the case, the delivery nozzle 22being alined with the impeller and communicating nearly tangentially with the larger end of the air space around the impeller, thus causing the air to be projected outwardly through the nozzle as the impeller is rotated in thadirection indicated by arrow X.

The weight of the nozzle 22- is sufficient to cause it to rock automatically to its lowermost angle or normal position of rest with the stop 26 in engagement with the adjacent portion of the housing, but may be adjusted vertically from this position by hand to different angles and held in such .position by a yielding detent consisting, in this instance, of a ball 28 which is spring-pressed against the periphery of the ;blower case by a coil spring .29 and may .be forced to its holding position under yielding pressure by means of a rod or bar 30 extending vertically through the standard 1' andthroughan opening 31 in the bottom of the housing section 8, the lower end of said rod being extended into the base -2 and connected to the inner end of a pedal lever 32 which is fulcrumed at 33 to said base and extends butwardly through an opening therein to the exterior thereof where it is provided with a A foot piece 34:.

. It is now evident thatwhen the delivery nozzle 22- is adjusted vertically from its normal position to the desired. angle, it may be held in such position by simply depressing the pedal 34- which causes the rod -30-- to compress the spring 29' and thereby force the detent 28- into engagement with the periphery of the impeller case with sufficient friction to retain it in its adjusted position as long as the pedal 3 l is held in its depressed position, the periphery of the impeller case being provided with a series of notches 35 cooperating with the detent 28 to effect .amore positive retention of the delivery nozzle in its adjusted position. 7

As soon as pressure upon the pedal 34: is relieved, the weight of the nozzle 22 causes it to return to its normal down position where it is always available without adjustment fordrying the hands and is only circuiting. r

outer end. of the hub 21, as shown more adjusted'to its extreme up position for drying the face, but maybe adjusted to intermediate positions as may suit the convenience of the user.

The electric heater 6 consistsof several turns of coiled resistance wire wound upon a radially ribbed supporting frame ,.+36-- having a central shaft or spindle 37, secured by a set screw'-'38- in the clearly'in Fig. 4, the frame 36.- being preferably made of cast iron, .but is provided with a heavy coating of enamel -39. of insulating material, such as porcelain upon which the heater wire rests to prevent short This'heater is,;therefore, located. wholly within the blower case between the inlet 17 in the housing anddelivery nozzle. 22 and, therefore, in the path of'travel. of the air in passing through the blower,

- the hub +21? being provided. with open ings 40 therein to allow the passage of air therethrough from the inlet 17- to the heater. F

The electric switch 7- is mounted upon the section 10 of the housing and suitably insulated therefrom by insulating blocks 41 the movable member as -42- of the switch being provided with a stem .43 projecting through an. aperture +44- in the rod or bar so as to be operated'by' said bar as the latter is raised and lowered by the pedal, the switch being normally opened by the depression of the bar and closed as the baris elevated to hold the delivery nozzle .22 in its adjustedposition. j

Both the motor and heater derive current from the same source and are, therefore, connected to the same switch -7-- which current may be supplied from any available source by an electric-conducting cable 45.

The pedal lever. -32, bar 30 and switch member '42- are self-retracting by means of a spring 46-- which assures aue tomatic opening of the switch and release 0 the detent -28 instantly upon relieving the pressure upon the pedal 3l-, thereby normally rendering the machine inactive by. cutting off the current to the motor and a heater. r

In operation, if it is desired to dry the hands only, the user depresses the pedal '34' which instantly closes the switch -7- to energize the heater coil and to start the motor, thereby operating the fan or im pelle r 19 to .create a current of air through the heater from the inlet 17 to the outlet -22, the heated air being projected outwardly through the delivery nozzle into the room and the user simply holds his moistened hands in the c urrent' of heated air at the outlet. v j The operation is substantially the same for drying the face, except that the delivery nozzle "22 may be rocked upwardly to 1 direct the current of heated air to the face,

it being held in this position by the detent 28.as long as the pedal lever 34- is held depresse but instantly upon the removal of pressure upon the pedal, the weight of the nozzle automatically returns it to its normal down position, and at the same time opens the switch to stop the motor and to cut off the supply of current-t0 the heater. 1 i

What we claim is:

1. In a lavatory fixture, the combination with a housing having an air inlet and an opening, a blower, a motor therefor and a heater, all located within the housing, said blowercomprising a fan and an inclosing case therefor adjustable about the axis of v.the fan andprovidedwith an airinlet and a delivery nozzle extending outwardly through said opening in the housing.

7 2. In a lavatory fixture, the combination with a. housing having an air inlet and an opening, a blower and a co-axiaL motor therefor, both journaledi-n the housing, the blower comprising a rotary fan and an inclosing case therefor adjustable about said,-

axis and provided with a delivery nozzle extending outwardly through said opening the housing, and an electric heater within the blower case in the path of travel of theing the nozzle in its adjusted position and including a detent and aspring support therefor placed under increased tension by said means. V

5. In av lavatory fixture, the combination of a blower having. an impeller and a case therefor having an air inlet and a delivery nozzle, said case being adjustable rotarily about the axis of the impeller, means operable at will for holding the case in its adjnsted position, an electric heater wholly within the adjustable blower case in the path of travel of the air therethrough, an electric switch in. circuit with the heater, and connections between the switch and said means for closing the switch simultaneously with the operation of the holding means.

6. In aulavatory fixture, a blower having an impeller and-a case therefor adjustable about the axis of the impeller and provided with an air inlet and a delivery nozzle, pedal-operated meansfor holding the case in its adjusted position, an electric motor for the impeller co-axial therewith, an electric heater inclosed within the blower case in the path of travel of the air" through the blower, an electric switch connected in cir-.

and extended beyond opposite sides thereof,

said housing having an air inlet in or near one endand a vertically elongated opening in its front 1n the vertical plane of the standard, an electric heater within the same end of the housing as the air inlet, an electric motor within the opposite end of the housing, a rotary fan secured to the motor shaft in the vertical plane of the opening in the front of the housing, and a case inclosing the'fan and heater and provided with a nozzle extending outwardly through said opening,- said case being provided with an opening for admitting air from the inlet of the housing to the heater. 8. In a device of the character described,

the-combination of a housing having an enlarged central portion and reduced cylindriieal ends, the central portion having a vertically elongated opening in its front side, one of the reduced ends having an air inlet, an electric motor within the other reduced end, a case within the housing adjustable rotarily about the axis of the. motor relatively to said housing and provided with a" '40 discharge nozzle extending outwardly through the vertically elongated opening, a rotary fan secured to the motor shaft within said'case, and an electric heater also within the case, said case having an air inlet communicating with the inlet in the housing.

9. In a device ofthe character described, the combination of a hollow upright standard, a housing supported on the upright end of the standard and provided withan air inlet, the front side of the case being provided with a vertically elongated opening in the vertical 'plane of the standard, a fan rotating in said plane, an electric motor at one end of the fan for driving the same, an electric heater at the opposite end of the fan, a case inclosing the fan and heater and adjustable vertically about the axis of the fan and provided with a discharge nozzle projecting through the opening in the front of the housing, a pedal supported on the base of the standard, a rod operated by the motor at one end of the fan for operating the same, an electric heater at the opposite pedal and extending vertically through the standard and into the housing, and a yield- (35 ing stop actuated by said rod for engaging the periphery of the fan case to hold the latter in its adjusted position when the 'rod is elevated by the pedal.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a hollow upright standard, a housing supported on the upper end of the standard and provided with an air inlet, the front side of the case being provided with a vertically elongated opening in the vertical plane of the standard, a fan rotating in said plane, an electric motor at one end of the fan for driving the same, an electric heater at the opposite end of the fan. a case inclosing the fan and-heater and S0 adjustable vertically about the axis of the fan and provided with a discharge nozzle projecting through the opening in the front of the housing, a pedal supported on the base of the standard, a rod operated by the pedal and extending vertically through the standard and into the housing, a yielding stop actuated by said rod for engaging the periphery of the fan case to hold the latte:

in its adjusted position when the rod is elevated by the pedal, and a motor-controlling switch operated by said rod.

11. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotary fan, an electric end of the fan, and a case extending entirely around the fan and heater to inclose the same and provided with a discharge opening in one side, and an air inlet near the heater, said case being adjustable rotarily about the axis of the fan.

12. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotary fan, an electric motor at one end of the fan for operating the same, an electric heater at the opposite end of the fan, a case extending entirely around the fan and heater to inclose the same and provided with a discharge opening in one side and an air inlet near the heater,jsaid case being adjustable rotarily about the axis of the fan, an electric switch controlling the motor, a yielding stop for holding the case in its adjusted position, and pedal-operated means for simultane-115 ously operating the switch and case-holding means.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 6th day of July, 1915.

Y MICKAEL LEMP.

WILLIAM F. ALBRECHT. JOSEPH SHEBOL.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, ALICE M. CANNON. 

